[freeway]

hi people.
i'm new to this forum, but i think a long introduction ain't necessary.
also my question is very short. i'm goin' to move to N.T. end of this year, near before christmas, something like yuen long or fanling. now my question: what do i need to pay when i first rent a flat. like the fee's that the agent or whoever will claim for the intercession / the work he had. like where i'm now, you usually pay the agent one rent extra. 'd be cool, if somebody could help!

[back2HK]

15 days rent...

[rose_mary]

The agent fee is 50% the first month rental(agent told us), the landlord asks us to pay 3 month rentals in advance, are we being ripped off?

[BettyInToronto]

I don't live in HK yet but if you do a search you will see that others on this forum have said the following:

you pay first month rent
you pay 2 months rent for deposit
you pay .5 month rent to agent (landlaord pays other half)

So based on that, it sounds about right what you're being asked to pay

[hello_there]

BettyinToronto is right. You may be able to negotiate a little with the agent fees or deposit, but its pretty standard to have to come up with 3-3 1/2 month's rent up front.

[sunniefaith]

You pay the agent half month's rent and in turn, you can ask for 2 weeks free rent. That's what we did.

[rose_mary]

Thanks alot guys for the info.

Sunniefaith, my hubby and I have put an offer on one of the flats viewed, asking for around 10% off the asking price, still waiting for an answer yet, if the landlord accepts our offer, that would be great.

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by rose_mary

Thanks alot guys for the info.

Sunniefaith, my hubby and I have put an offer on one of the flats viewed, asking for around 10% off the asking price, still waiting for an answer yet, if the landlord accepts our offer, that would be great.

We managed to get 5% off and also we told them that we wanted 2 weeks off which they compiled and they are even willing to wait about 2 months till we complete our lease.

[Alby]

Some factors to consider when baragaining for a percentage off a rental are:
[*]if one can learn how long the place has been empty (w/o tenant) and/or [*]depending on the availability of the rental market in the area in which you are looking and/or [*]the age of the building and/or age of the interior of the apartment and/or [*]if the building has an elevator[/list]
Also some landlords will only consider taking a percentage off the monthly rental price if so many months are paid in advance.

[carang]

rosemary....
in 12 years here, and about 10 leases...i have NEVER BEEN asked to pay 3 months advance rent.

i HAVE been asked to pay 2 months deposit and the first month's rent when signing a lease...

i just wanted to clarify what you meant. were you asked to pay 2 months deposit AND 3 months advance rent???? that's a hell of a lot of $$$$!!!